Is Kansas Richer than Canada? with Jeff Reimer and Brian Dijkema

Often lost in the broader conversation around solar power is how the technology can support American reindustrialization.Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar, joins Oren on the podcast to explain solar's fit both into an all-of-the-above energy strategy and as a bulwark of U.S. manufacturing renewal. They discuss why solar power is such an American industrial success story, particularly against unfair competition from China, and what AI and automation could portend for the industry. Finally, they talk through how so much of conservative resistance to solar power isn't about the technology itself, and why First Solar's Made in America strategy sets it apart both in terms of energy output and in supporting local communities.

The youngest generation of Americans are increasingly without the kind of formation that shapes children into adults and allows them to develop the muscles of good citizenry, as the institutions and systems that once helped their elders fall short today. This not only sets young people up for failure, but erodes social cohesion and a democratic politics.Yuval Levin joins Oren and Chris to try to define what a better path of formation and true citizenship could look like. They discuss how replacing citizenship with consumerism has impoverished not just conservatism but the country more broadly. and wrestle with the temptations both toward nostalgia for older generations and nihilism for the younger ones, Finally, they talk through what this all means in the context of politics, and what today's deeply unpopular Democratic and Republican Parties could learn about renewing formative institutions from their predecessors in the late nineteenth century.

Why have so many economists gotten it so wrong about the impact of Trump's economic policies, from trade to immigration and beyond?Stephen Miran, former chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisors, joins Oren on the podcast to unpack the president's economic realignment. The two discuss the change in thinking Trump has delivered and why economists can neither understand its value nor accurately predict what its implications will look like. Finally, they discuss tariffs, and why the revenues they raise are so vital for paying for what America needs today.

In an apples-to-apples comparison of GDP per capita, eight of Canada's ten provinces are poorer than nearly all U.S. states. But how much can GDP really tell us? Is most of Canada really poorer in any meaningful sense than Kansas?Two writers, Jeff Reimer, a Kansan and senior editor at Comment, and Brian Dijkema, the Ontario-based president of Cardus, journeyed to both locations to find out. They join guest host Chris Griswold to recount their travels, discuss the quality-of-life context that GDP can’t measure, and make sense of the similarities, and key differences, on each side of the border.Further reading:“Is Kansas Really Richer than Canada?” Jeff Reimer, Commonplace“Is Canada Really Poorer than Kansas?” Brian Dijkema, Commonplace

Artificial intelligence is often discussed as a threat to human flourishing, undermining everything from jobs to education to literacy. Is there anything that can be done to mitigate that future damage? Is it already too late?Gregory Conti, associate professor at Princeton University, joins Oren and Chris to discuss whether there's anything to be done to stop AI. The group discusses Conti's recent writing in Compact, where he's an editor-at-large, making the case that we're already living in the wake of the technology's destruction. And they dive into specific policies, from banning tech in the classroom, to age-gating social media, to shutting down AI altogether, and whether they can be accomplished.Further reading:"The AI Apocalypse Is Already Here," by Gregory Conti, Compact"Big Tech’s War on Human Achievement," by Gregory Conti, Compact

Few political issues have united Americans the way that a resistance to new data centers to support the development of AI has done in recent months. But is this anger and opposition toward them misplaced, and even a threat to American reindustrialization?Josh Zoffer, a venture capitalist and Biden administration alum, joins Oren on the podcast to discuss the ongoing fight on data centers. Zoffer explains the thinking from his recent Financial Times piece, "Data centres are a crucial test of US industrial resolve," and why he thinks their construction is vital to America's success in the AI race with China. And he and Oren discuss how data centers fit into the broader, bipartisan push to build up domestic industrial capacity more broadly.

There's a political realignment taking place when it comes to labor law. Republicans from the White House down to the local level are increasingly championing worker rights against corporate interests. But will this change take root in the GOP? And should it?Roger King, senior labor and employment counsel at the CHRO Association joins Oren on the podcast to make sense of the changes over the last decade, and debate the merits of some of the labor legislation on the table. They discuss the Faster Labor Contracts Act, a bill to speed up initial collective bargaining agreements that recently passed the House of Representatives and is under consideration in the Senate. And they talk bigger picture, about what today's workers really need, and where recent efforts could risk overcorrecting.

Curtailing public chaos and institutional corruption are vital objectives to reclaiming a healthy American citizenship. But what can ordinary people do to rein in corrupt elites? And why have elected officials failed to push back for generations?Dr. Matt Mehan, associate dean of Hillsdale College's Graduate School of Government, joins Oren and Chris to make sense of what went wrong. They discuss how a fixation on legal rights has crowded out a public commitment to the responsibilities and duties inherent in citizenship, and why that shift has done so much damage. Finally, they discuss Dr. Mehan's new book, The American Book of Fables, and why his work to adapt timeless lessons for the youngest generation is so important at a moment defined by declining educational quality and oversaturation of technology.Further Reading:The American Book of Fables by Matt Mehan

The traditional four-year college degree is dramatically falling out of favor with parents and would-be students. One clear problem is that today's educational offerings don't help students build the skills they really need, both for the jobs of the future and for a meaningful life after graduation.Dr. Jacob Imam, president of The College of St. Joseph the Worker, joins Oren and policy director Chris Griswold to describe what makes his college so different: a classroom experience matched with an intensive focus on physical skills and learning the trades. They make sense of why blending the intellectual and manual pursuits is so beneficial not just just for students, but to the college's local community, and the world beyond. Finally, they discuss how this alternative approach can be scaled up to address America's lack of skilled workers needed for reindustrialization.

Many men without college degrees have nearly nonexistent social support, and are often one point of failure away from living in isolation, according to a new research report, Nobody to Call. Their lives are perilous: moving to a new town, losing a job, or the death of a friend could leave them fully divorced from their communities.Sam Pressler, lead author of the paper and a practitioner fellow at the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, joins Oren and Chris to unpack the risks facing men without college degrees. They make sense of why life has gotten so hard for this group, from reduced working-class job prospects to declining college matriculation and other post-high school pathways, as well as barriers to marriage. And they discuss the kinds of social programs currently available to these men, compared to what they really need.Further reading:Nobody to Call“‘The Vibes Are Not Good’,” Oren Cass, Commonplace